NBA: Kobe stars for Lakers
Kobe Bryant led the way with 30 points as the Los Angeles Lakers ended Dallas' four-game win streak with a 109-93 victory.
Last Updated: 22/03/12 6:52am
Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol played key roles as the Los Angeles Lakers halted the Dallas Mavericks' four-game winning run in NBA action on Wednesday.
Bryant scored a game-high 30 points and Gasol weighed in with a 27-point haul as the Lakers prevailed 109-93 in Texas.
Eastern Conference front-runners Chicago were 94-82 winners against Toronto but did it the difficult way, allowing the Raptors to lead 51-43 at the midway point before clawing their way back. John Lucas scored 13 points in the final quarter as the Bulls came from 69-62 down.
Kevin Durant's 32-point haul led Oklahoma City, top of the Western Conference, to a 114-91 success against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Josh Smith also scored 32 points and claimed 17 rebounds as the Atlanta Hawks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-102 after overtime.
San Antonio enjoyed a fourth straight win, 116-100 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Tim Duncan scored 21 points and pulled down 15 rebounds.
Five straight
The New York Knicks went one better than the Spurs, picking up win number five in succession as they downed Philadelphia 82-79 in a tight finish, with Amare Stoudemire scoring 21 points for the Knicks.
A 29-point haul from Ryan Anderson, who shot seven from 12 from three-point range, and 28 points from Dwight Howard steered Orlando towards their 103-93 win over Phoenix.
Washington beat the New Jersey Nets 108-89 in a game that saw Nets point guard Deron Williams and coach Avery Johnson ejected in the third quarter.
Golden State had 27 points from Klay Thompson in their 101-92 win over New Orleans, while Denver edged Detroit 116-115. Ben Gordon scored 45 points for the Pistons including nine from nine from behind the arc but still finished on the losing side.
